Never Promise Anyone Forever
by echidna rocker
Summary: The Chaotix are guaring the Thorndyke residence for a fortnight, or so they hope. On their first night, an unexpected guest arrives, and a dramatic romance blossoms with some freaky twists...R&R please, flames accepted.
1. Is there anybody there?

Hey here's another fiction about the wonderful Chaotix (again, focused more on Espio, but what ya gonna do?) hope you enjoy, R&R please, flames accepted.

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I entered the Thorndyke residence once more, having retrieved the tracking equipment abandoned by my boss Vector and my colleague Charmy.

"Thanks for leaving me the dirty work" I called as he dragged the equipment into the hallway. When I had secured it, I made my way into the room to join the others.

"We need to get the chaos emeralds off Dr. Eggman and put a stop to this world domination nonsense" Chuck Thorndyke announced, "the only problem is, how are we going to do it?" Chris gazed up at his grandfather, obviously wishing he could help, wishing he could prove to Chuck how brave he was. The whole room was silent; everyone was in deep thought, even Cheese the Chao.

Suddenly, everyone lost concentration due to the banging of a door, but everyone was in that room, who could have slammed the door? Vector, Charmy and I exchanged glances then went to investigate…

We made our exit through the front door and edged our way to the back door that lead to the kitchen. Someone or _something _had kicked down the door and turned off all the lights. Whoever was responsible seemed pretty tough, so I decided to make the first move. I changed my colour to blend to the surroundings, but visible enough for my team mates to see me. Slowly but surely I entered the dismal kitchen to meet my opponent. I squinted in the darkness, that's when I noticed a figure moving elegantly towards me, calm and gentle, not making a sound; I was beginning to wonder whether or not the shape was actually there. Not daring to take any chances, I lunged at my target, throwing it to the floor.

"What's the big idea?" a feminine voice cried as the body landed uncomfortably on the tiled floor, "huh?" I was perplexed. This being had trespassed into the residence and wanted an explanation for my attack.

"Vector! Charmy! Get in here now!" I returned to my usual colour, knowing that this individual wouldn't attempt to break out with a team of professional detectives in charge of the situation. I flicked the light switch, to see a beautiful yet mystified young girl staring into my eyes; I felt a chill run down my spine.

"Espio, did ya catch him?" Vector queried as he approached the scene. Unable to look away from the girl, I answered:

"Not 'him' Vector, but 'her'". Charmy appeared behind Vector and froze as he laid eyes on the girl.

"Wow Espio, looks like you really hurt her, what did ya do?" the young bee asked, a note of worry in his voice. I continued to gaze into the girl's eyes, she was making me feel strange, but I was also worried, had I really damaged this stunning creature?

"Get the Thorndykes Charmy, maybe they can explain who this is" I ordered. As Charmy left the kitchen, Vector moved towards me.

"You know what this means if you've hurt her Espio" Vector rasped, "you could be a step closer to losing your job, we detect, not attack".

"I know Vector, I panicked" I answered wearily. The girl was now trying to get to her feet but not as though she was trying to escape. I saw no reason to stop her. My attention was drawn from her when I heard the Thorndykes entering the kitchen.

"Tabby!" Chris exclaimed as soon as he saw the girl, "you're alive!". He stopped in his tracks, noticing that Tabby was in pain. "Are you hurt, sis?" The others entered the kitchen, Ella, Chuck and Tanaka looked astounded to see the girl.

"Well done Espio!" Vector hissed at me, then hit me round the head. I was feeling guilty and ashamed, I had attacked an innocent, young girl, now I faced losing my job and new friends. Tabby looked at me, she could see the anxiety in my face, then did the most honourable thing anyone had ever done for me before, she defended me. "I fell over something" she explained quietly, "nothing major, I could do with some ice on my hip though". Ella wasted no time going to the freezer to fulfil Tabby's request.

"Why are you here? We all thought you were dead" Chris cried.

"I'll tell you later, honey" she replied gravely. As Tabby stood up straight, Vector and I noticed a large split up the side of her dress. Vector, as usual, felt he had to say something.

"Hello nurse!" he blurted out, while I sensibly kept my mouth shut. Tabby glared at Vector, unaware that the rip existed. As the crocodile continued to gape in amazement at the pale flesh, I felt the need to point out what he was implying.

"Excuse me miss. You seem to have…torn…your clothing…and-"

"If you can call that baby 'clothing'!" Vector cut in enthusiastically. Tabby slowly moved her focus onto her split dress, then grasped the rip tightly.

"You shouldn't be looking there anyway" she retorted, annoyance clear in her mysterious voice. She snatched the ice off Ella, limped through the doorway and made her way up the staircase.

"Way to go detectives!" Chris snapped.

"We better go after her, Chris" Sonic advised. He and Chris left the room. I turned to Vector; he was glaring at me in a disapproving way. This made me feel vile.


	2. Coming clean

This is another short chapter, but it explains some of Tabby's past, sorry if anyone disliked the last chapter, those of you who thought Chris was an only child, continue to read this fic as you will find out some truths later. If anyone has any human characters they want to lend me I would be really grateful, I think it would be nice for Tabby to get some friends, don't you? R&R & enjoy!

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I was summoned to the dining room by the adults at around midnight, dreading the lecture that awaited me. I sat down at the table to join Chuck, Ella, Mr Tanaka and Vector, that's when I realised exactly how serious this all was.

"Espio, would you please begin by telling us your version of events?" Tanaka barked. As I was explaining, I heard Vector coughing sarcastically, which made me even more nervous.

"So you attacked my grand daughter viciously because you felt threatened!" Chuck yelled furiously at me, eyes wide with rage, "Do you have any idea what she's been through? Now she might think that her own home isn't safe!" Just as Vector was about to chip in, Tabby appeared in the doorway.

"It wasn't the chameleon's fault" Tabby cried urgently, "I shouldn't have broken the door and hidden in darkness, Espio was just doing his job".

"Then why did you say you fell, sweetie?" Ella asked. Tabby put across her story, then begged her guardians to give me another chance.

"Very well, Tabitha. Espio, you are excused" Chuck mumbled. Tabby and I walked out into the hallway, and then her hand collided with my cheek.

"That's for attacking me this evening" she smirked, "and tell the green glob to keep his eyes on his own class". I couldn't help myself but to smile back.

"I'm…sorry" I managed to utter breathlessly. She gave me a shameless wink, as if daring me to follow her. She strutted up the stairs, not looking back and disappeared into her room. My heart gave a lurch, I had never felt this way before, I felt special. I made my decision to go after her. When I reached the top step, I was greeted by Chris. My excitement turned to dread.

"Espio, I think I should tell you about Tabby's past" he whispered so no-one in the rooms on the corridor could hear. I followed him into the study, wondering what Chris was going to tell me that he didn't want Sonic and the guys to hear. We sat down at the oak desk; Chris began to clear his throat.

"Since Tabby was 8, she had this crazy idea that she could be a ninja mercenary" he started, "Grandpa tried to tell her how dangerous it would be, but she wouldn't listen, mom and dad didn't care. When she turned 10, she left home to fulfil her dream. Two years later we found out that she had formed a punk band and that she'd got a boyfriend. A year later, we got a phone call from her boyfriend, he told us that Tabby had been killed in an explosion. At first, no-one believed this was true, that was until witnesses wrote to us, telling us all the details. We were heart-broken. Since then, my family has been really protective over me, that's why I shouted at you guys down there, I just don't want to lose her again."

"Before she died, we received some photos of her in action, she'd joined a ninja academy" Chris handed me some frayed photographs of his sister, she looked so different, so happy and healthy. I stumbled across the picture of her and her boyfriend.

"Is this him?" I queried. Chris nodded. "As soon as Grandpa saw the picture, he knew there was something weird about him". I continued to look through the pictures; Tabby truly was beautiful, no matter what you thought of her.

"Why did her hair colour keep changing?" I asked.

"Her hair still does it now; she thinks its something to do with her mood swings".

"That's what happens to me" I said, "my skin colour changes to what emotion I'm feeling at the time". Chris nodded and smiled.

"You and Tabby will get along fine when she gets over tonight" Chris said, "She can't hold a grudge for too long". Even though I felt I horrible after the performance I gave earlier that evening, I felt sure that Chris was right, hopefully Vector would forgive me too. As I was about to leave, Sonic burst through the door.

"What are you doing here Espio?" Sonic snapped at me, "haven't you caused enough damage already?". Before I could answer, Knuckles burst through the door.

"Hey Espio" he said cheerfully. Chris and Sonic stared in shock, as if they had never seen Knuckles before.

"You don't usually come here so late" Sonic said, puzzled. Knuckles explained that Tikal wanted to look after the Master Emerald that night so Knuckles could get a decent night's sleep.

"I'll show you to your room then" Chris sighed, "come on Sonic, there's no way I'm leaving you and Espio alone in the same room". Sonic gave one last smirk at the chameleon, then followed Chris and Knuckles out of the room. I pulled a mean face after Sonic before taking my leave. I was staying the night at the house because they felt that they needed extra security. When I had closed the study door, I turned to face the attic stairs.

"Are you staying here like the others?" a voice whispered from behind me.

"Tabby, hey, erm…yeah, your grandpa said we should in case Dr Eggman tries to steal the emeralds" I explained almost breathlessly, I couldn't understand why I was so shy in front of Tabby, even if she was only in a towel…

"Awesome" she said, "why are you sleeping in the attic though?" I shrugged.

Tabby didn't say anything else but gave a coy smile, "I'll see you in the morning then Espio". I said goodnight then ran up the attic steps, hoping to be alone to think about my encounter with the girl. Hard luck, Vector was waiting to talk to me. I knew I was in for a long night…

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Well, thank you for reading, I promise you that the story will get better, have patience my friends! Reviews please! 


	3. Ridiculous Thoughts

Thanks for the reviews, I wrote this chapter just for the sake of my readers, hope you all enjoy!

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I awoke the next morning in a cold sweat; I had been dreaming again. My eyes adjusted to the light and I was surprised to see Tabby standing gracefully over me holding a tray of delicious food. Her hair was now an electric pink and was tied up loosely in a black ribbon. She was dressed in a lacy black silk nightdress.

"I made you some breakfast Espio" she whispered sweetly, setting the tray down next to me and sitting down suggestively close to me. Just as I had hoped, her pale face moved nearer to mine. I could see her desire in those starry eyes. Her cold hand brushed my cheek ever so gently as her lips parted, almost touching my own separated lips…

"WAKE UP ESPIO!" Vector yelled at me, whacking me round the head with today's newspaper. I almost jumped out of my skin, I had been dreaming of an angel, only to be woken up by a troll. I looked over at the alarm clock next my sleeping bag; 7:30, I had over slept big-time!

"What mission do we have set for today?" I asked groggily as I attempted to crawl out of my sleeping bag. Vector shrugged and focused his attention on the headline printed in large letters on the paper.

"I just thought I should wake you up, in case you wanted to make it up to the Thorndyke chick" Vector stated as Cream gave Charmy another plate of food. I rolled my eyes and folded up my bed, and then I made my way to the bathroom. I didn't realise what I was about to come upon…

I was still half asleep when I entered the bathroom; this meant I didn't notice the full bath. I undressed completely and made my way to the bathtub. I was just about to reach for the tap to begin running the water when I realised what was going on. I turned to face the angel from my dream. Before I could turn and back out of the room, Tabby turned around to reach for a towel. Like in my dream, our eyes met, only this time there was no passionate desire in her secretive eyes. She let out a tiny squeal and covered herself up with the towel she had managed to grasp at the last minute.

"Get the hell out, Espio!" she shouted, humiliated. I grabbed my belongings and darted out of the bathroom, not daring to get on the wrong side of her today. I only realised I was totally naked when Knuckles came out of his room and then had to double back. Luckily the airing cupboard was near so I slipped in and got dressed. When I emerged, Tails greeted me.

"Hi Espio" the kid smiled as soon as I exited the small room. I smiled back but didn't say anything. "What's wrong? You look sad" Tails continued to speak.

"It's nothing, I'm just a little tired from yesterday" I answered; it was only part of what was on my mind but I decided that brief explanation would do.

"How are you and Tabby getting along now?" he asked. I clarified this morning's incident which seemed to silence the child. I told him to tell Chuck that the team and I would be down soon. Tails nodded and rushed downstairs to get his breakfast and handover the message. I waited patiently in my room then went to the bathroom to get a wash. I knocked on the bathroom door to make sure no-one was in. there was no answer so I entered. I heard someone pass by the door and faced Knuckles. His face went the same colour as his fur as he zoomed down the stairs, not looking me in the eyes. I now knew how Tabby had felt when I barged in on her. I closed the door and checked for a lock. No such luck, I wouldn't be able to blame my intrusion on her forgetting to lock the door, I would have to face the consequences yet again. I lodged one of my wristbands under the door to delay the opening if someone did attempt to enter. Again I undressed and noticed someone had already run some hot, fresh water in the tub, no prizes for guessing who…

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When I finally went downstairs, my colleagues had helped themselves to a second breakfast, Knuckles face was still bright red and Tabby was drinking a translucent crimson substance in a tall glass; clearly tomato juice and vodka. I threw Chuck a questioning look and he nodded. I couldn't believe her family was allowing her to engage in this activity first thing in the morning. After several threatening grunts from Vector I decided to keep my mouth shut. Tabby downed the contents of the glass and put it in the dishwasher. 

"Enjoy your bath this morning chameleon?" Tabby asked sarcastically. The teenager received a glare for an answer. Chuck poured himself another cup of coffee and began to speak.

"Chris and I have had a talk this morning" he took a sip from his mug, "and we have decided that tonight we will hold a dinner party to honour Tabby's survival – I mean – Tabby's return!" Everyone cheered except Tabby and Espio, both of them hated large crowds of people.

"I'll agree to this on one condition" Tabby stated, folding her arms. Chuck nodded for her to continue. "Can I invite Christina to the party? And I would also like some money to get a new outfit!" she finished, climbing onto the kitchen unit and being pushed off again by Ella.

"Christina? You mean the really quiet one who went to the academy with you?" Chris asked, a frown spreading across his face. Tabby nodded and held out her hand to Chuck.

"$75 should just about cover everything, plus the $25 you owe me for snapping my guitar strings repetitively!" she added as she saw Chris about to sneak out of the room. Chuck and Chris sighed as they handed Tabby the money and watched her prance out of the door.

* * *

Tabby returned to her home at about 5:30, laughing and joking with another girl. I switched to invisibility to avoid embarrassing anyone…again! The new girl had middle length blonde hair with sparkling bright blue eyes. Her skin was equally as pale as Tabby's. Her style was totally different to Tabby's too. Christina wore a clean white t-shirt with pale blue jeans and white sneakers. Hanging out of one of her pockets was a bright green bandana. As soon as they came into the room where Chris was sat with Sonic, Christina went silent. Tabby smiled and called Amy through. 

"Hello Christina, my name's Amy, Tabby's told me all about you, do you wanna come through and watch a movie or something?" the pink hedgehog finished off her speech with a small courtesy.

"Yeah…whatever" Christina said shyly, looking to the floor. The pair went off and Tabby started up the stairs to show the Chaotix and me her new outfit. She reached the top of the stairs and was welcomed by Knuckles.

"Hey Tabby" he beamed as he followed her to her room.

"Hey" she answered as she dropped the bags on her bed.

"Buy anything nice?" he asked politely. Sonic entered the room and attempted to rummage through the bags but Tabby's hand waved him aside.

"Yeah, would you like to get Espio for me Sonic?" she queried courteously, flashing her sweetest smile.

"Sure" he answered. He stepped into the hallway and bellowed "Espio!" Tabby and Knuckles sighed and started to take things out of the bags. My head was now throbbing, Sonic had shouted to me as I was stood directly in front of him. I switched back to normal mode and glared at the hedgehog.

"Wait here" Tabby whispered. She gave a wink and slipped behind a dressing screen. Knuckles was gazing in awe at her silhouette just as Sonic and me came into the room.

"Honestly Knuckles…" I breathed as I followed the echidna's stare. Tabby came back out from behind the screen, dressed in the most beautiful dress any of us had ever seen. The dress was made from crushed velvet; the top part was a purple corset that went into a long black flow of fabrics at the waist. The black sleeves clung to the top of her arm and purple velvet flared out from the elbow. The three of us stared in amazement as she strutted past.

"You coming down?" she asked haughtily…

* * *

"Thank you for being here this evening to celebrate the long awaited return of Tabitha who has completed her five year training" Chuck walked back down the staircase after completing his small announcement. Family form all over the surrounding countries had turned up for the party and Tabby didn't recognise any of them. She and Christina spent most of the time sneaking around the kitchen in search for open wine bottles that they could sneak upstairs. Christina and Amy had been getting along really well it seemed. 

"She's genuinely hooked on Sonic, I didn't realise how much one person could love another" Christina whispered as an uncle entered the kitchen to retrieve another bottle of champagne.

"Didn't bore you did she?" Tabby giggled. Christina shook her head and pointed to an open bottle that had been left on the side. Tabby gave an evil smile and edged her way to the bottle.

"You don't want to do that now, do you Tabby?" I asked as I became visible to the girls. Tabby froze before turning round and giving me a smile that made my stomach feel light and fluttery. "Don't try that with me! I saw you drinking this morning and I want to let you know how bad this is for your health" Tabby paused again and a calm pleasant smile formed over her red lips.

"Ok Espio, I'm sorry" she murmured. She signalled to Christina that they had been caught and they both headed out of the room to mooch around. I turned to pour myself a drink from the bottle Tabby had been trying to steal. I stared in amazement as I faced an empty kitchen surface.

"Tabitha!" I yelled, furious that she had ignored my request. She came into the kitchen alone, drinking from the bottle. "Put it down" I snarled. She removed her mouth from the bottle and told me where I could go. "Lightweight…" I muttered as I made to take the bottle away. To say she was tipsy, she was very coordinated. I managed to wrestle her to the ground and get the bottle away from her. When I prepared to let her go, I noticed we were in a very indicative position. Sure enough, Sonic burst through the kitchen door and his foot crashed into my face. I flew off Tabby as I was attacked. She got to her feet and ran out the kitchen.

"I didn't know you were that desperate" Sonic growled, "sleeping with other guys is one thing, but raping innocent girls is another" This statement infuriated me. How dare the pincushion call me gay? How dare he accuse me of trying to rape Tabby?

"You've got it wrong Sonic" I gasped through the blood pouring out of my mouth. Sonic pulled me up off the cold tiles and began punching my face with his free hand. I grabbed his shoulders and managed to throw him off me. I wasn't going to fight Sonic for something he had got wrong. I turned my back on the hedgehog and made for the door. To my dismay, Sonic threw a beer bottle at the back of my head. Fair enough, if Sonic wanted to play dirty, he would have to be able to accept dirty play in return. I turned invisible and attacked him form behind, cutting his head. The hedgehog switched off the lights so we were even. Using my ninja senses, I tracked down Sonic and wrapped my fingers round his throat. The light came on and Chuck and Vector entered.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Vector yelled as Sonic kicked me off him. I got to my feet and picked up the dagger which I had tried to stab blue-boy with.

"It's not what it looks-"

"Espio tried to rape Tabby!" Sonic blurted out before I could finish my sentence. I was now unable to speak; I didn't stand a chance against Sonic. To mine and Sonic's surprise, Vector burst out laughing.

"Espio? Rape a _girl_?" he cried as he doubled up laughing. I felt my face curl into a bitter scowl, knowing exactly what was coming next. "Espio's about as straight as a super-flex ruler!" _That _was a definition I didn't expect. I decided against defending myself; if I kept my mouth shut this could go my way. Chuck picked up Sonic and examined his eyes.

"You're in luck chameleon" he sighed "Sonic's just as drunk as Tabby is" I fell to the floor with relief. Sonic the hedgehog was taken to his room as Vector and I cleared up the mess in the kitchen. It was about 11:30 when everyone had left and everyone was asleep except for Vector and me.

"You have to watch how you approach different situations" Vector explained as we stood outside while we smoked. I nodded, understanding why I was the main victim at the moment…

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Hope you all enjoyed, reviews please! 


	4. Shadows enter the light

Well, well, well, it seems as though people do like my story after all, except for one anonymous reviewer (Grrr!) and thank you Nifty Ninja for recommending my story to Astral Firefly. Sorry that I took a while to update; my computer bust and when I finally got it working again, the internet decided to be permanently disconnected. But after several phone calls to the internet dude and several trips to the bank to pay for the bill, the internet is finally up and running again! Enjoy this chapter guys!

Disclaimer: I forgot to do this last time so I owe deep apologies to Chaogirl. I do not own Christina, she is copyright to Chaogirl.

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The next morning it was my turn to cook breakfast. It was Saturday morning which would usually equal my day off but, under the circumstances, I was still on duty. I couldn't stand the stench of bacon and eggs cooking, I would much rather be in the attic burning incense and meditating.

"Ugh, gross!" a croaky voice exclaimed from the doorway. "How do you cope with the smell?" It was Tabby, holding her nose and pulling a disgusted face. I smiled as I dished up the eggs and bacon.

"Breakfast is ready!" I called. A split second later, Sonic, Chris and Christina dashed to the table as I set the plates down in front of them. I received mumbled 'thanks' as they shoved the food into their mouths. Satisfied with my work, I joined Tabby in the hallway. She had pulled her bright green sweater over her nose and mouth. I laughed as she wore the same facial expression as when I was cooking.

"Bacon and eggs? Why not just do toast or something?" she asked, screwing up her nose.

"They requested a fry-up" I answered, playing idly with one of my ninja stars. Quick as a flash, Tabby snatched it off me and began to show off her moves. I watched in amazement as she threw it into the kitchen; it hit the pans hanging over the oven, circled the trio sat at the table, bounced off the milk and , just as it was about to make its way back to Tabby, Christina caught it and pocketed it.

"Hey! I was playing with that!" Tabby snapped, allowing her sweater to fall from her nose and mouth as she put her hands on her hips. Christina stuck her tongue out. "Can I please have it back?" Tabby continued to growl.

"When we've finished eating!" she sniggered; Christina could take hours to finish food if she wanted to. Tabby shrugged her shoulders and signalled for me to follow her outside. She looked sad.

"What's wrong Tabby?" I asked as we sat on the steps of the porch. She shook her head and pulled out a pack of cigs, offering me one as she lit hers. I obliged and we sat in silence for a few moments. Today her hair was a dull brown, concerning me even more; she usually wore her hair in bright colours. "Got a hangover from last night?" I continued to question Tabby, determined to get some answers. She turned her head slowly, her eyes beginning to fill up with tears.

"Its nothing anyone can help with" she whispered, taking a deep breath out. Her pale hands were shaking slightly as she took several long drags. I took another off mine; the taste was repulsive first thing in a morning, i didn't know how Tabby could take in the amount she did. I was about to shoot another question but then Vector joined us.

"Hi you two. Espy, you didn't make me any-" the croc stopped as soon as he laid his eyes on Tabby. "I didn't know you smoked" He said in an annoyed tone. Tabby forced a smile.

"You'll see a different side of me from now on; I can't risk the truth getting out..."

* * *

Weeks passed and Tabby continued to grow darker and quieter. Chuck was lucky if he could get her to sit down and eat a bite from a decent meal. Her skin was now a pasty shade of white and her cheeks no longer possessed their rosy glow. What worried Chris and Christina the most was that Tabby hardly spent any time at home. Chris explained to me in the past that Tabby rarely left the house because she was scared of people but now she was leaving home at eight in the morning and returning home eleven thirty at night. Strangely though, no matter how she acted in front of others, she would always greet me as cheerfully as she could manage.

One night she returned home at midnight and came straight up to the attic to see me. When I realised she was drunk I took her to her room and we sat on the balcony for a while; she was telling me about her day. We sat for hours as she cried and laughed, I was restraining her as she tried to stand and she kept offering me cigarettes. When she finally calmed down she rested her head on my shoulder, breathing heavily. Tabby remained this way for about ten minutes and I felt sure she was asleep so i made to pick her up and put her in bed.

"I love you Espio" she suddenly whispered, grasping my hand and turning her head so she could look into my eyes. I went numb. Could she really mean what she just said? No, don't be stupid, Tabby could never mean that, she's drunk, she doesn't know what she's saying. If only I had listened to the thoughts running through my head, I might not have hurt her beyond repair.

* * *

The next few days I spent my time gazing out of windows, eating and sleeping. No-one seemed to notice my behaviour- except for Christina. Charmy, Vector and Knuckles were aware that I was acting differently too, though they were too naive to say anything.

"Are you gonna tell me what's wrong or do I have to observe you day and night to make sure you don't end up like my screwed up best friend that doesn't spend any time indoors anymore?" she shot one day. I had been expecting this question for a while and had planned my answer.

"Christina, I'm in love" I uttered, my lips curling into a dreamy smile. I turned to face the younger ninja; her eyes were wide with shock.

"Holy cow. Please tell me it isn't Knuckles. God, I am begging you, please say it isn't Knuckles!" Christina cried, her voice shaking. I laughed and shook my head.

"It isn't Knuckles. I'm in love with a girl. A human girl" This made Christina's jaw drop even wider than before.

"Tabby" she whispered, folding her arms. I nodded and was silent. "Tabby" she continued to laugh.

"Yeah" I grinned, nervous; I couldn't understand why Christina was giggling.

"You do realise you don't stand a chance with her, don't you?" she asked as she swung herself around in the computer chair. I felt numb again, sick even. This was a comment I didn't expect.

"What makes you say that?"

"She gave up on relationships when her boyfriend left her for dead in that fire, she even struggles to trust me sometimes" she explained.

"Is there anyway she would ever change the way she feels about relationships?"

"There is one thing..." Whatever Christina was about to say, I knew I wouldn't be prepared, though I was willing to do anything to be with Tabby...

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Thanks for reading, review please! 


	5. Sugery from Hell

Hey again, updating is so annoying! But fans are nice so it's worth it, much appreciate the reviews!

BTW: this chapter has a rather disturbing part about three quarters of the way down, please don't freak out but it seemed rather pointless to up this fic to an M, unless of course, I decide to make future chapters a bit more...well, you'll see in good time my friends...ENJOY!

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"What can I do?" I asked as I rummaged through a draw in search of cigarettes. Christina sighed and brought her knees under her chin.

"I know someone who hides out in Silver Valley" she uttered. "He's a shaman and he may be able to cast a spell-"

"I don't want to put Tabby under a spell!" I cried, horror swelling in my heart. Christina shook her head.

"I didn't mean that. The shaman can cast a spell on you, he can make you..." she blinked hard, as if dreading what she was going to say. "Well, anyway, when he's done that, you can pretend that you're new to town and you can grow close to her by pretending you're vulnerable" I was confused; I understood exactly what Christina was saying but I didn't understand how this was supposed to strengthen my relationship, if anything, it would push us apart. Not wanting to offend Christina, I accepted.

* * *

"This is the place" Christina whispered as we stopped in front of a large oak tree. Its leaves were dead and the bark was beginning to crumble. I folded my arms and sat down on a nearby rock.

"No offence Christina, but this seems really dumb, how do you know the shaman isn't hiding in a different tree?" I said sarcastically. Christina wasn't listening. She was crouched on one knee with her head bowed, holding out a gold dagger. I remained silent, waiting to see where this was going. After five minutes I lost interest and was about to leave when the ground suddenly began to tremble. I rushed to Christina's side and attempted to drag her out of the forest.

"No Espio" she shouted. "This is supposed to happen" I threw my stare to the tree and noticed it was protruding a liquid. Both of us stared as something was beginning to form from the ooze. Pretty soon, there was no liquid left and a tall man dressed in animal skins stood before us.

"Greetings my little ninjas" he rasped. "Please come inside my home" He seized us both by the wrists and dragged us through a hole in the tree. I couldn't see anything as we flew down the shoot, everything was black. We fell to the ground with a thud and light grew in the room. The odour was very unpleasant and I felt sure I was going to throw up. The shaman lifted Christina off the ground, his fingers tight around her neck. He held out his grubby hand and Christina handed him the gold dagger. I threw a confused glance to Christina.

"A gift" she explained. The shaman set the dagger down on a table then seated himself, awaiting an explanation as to why we had sought him. Christina crouched on her knee again, sort of like a bow. I followed suit and Christina spoke. "This is Espio the chameleon, a member of the Chaotix agency, my name is-"

"I know who you are, foolish girl" the shaman snapped "You are a friend of Tabitha's, are you not?"

"That is true. We seek your help because this chameleon needs to win Tabby's trust. She kinda told Espio that she loved him and now he's fallen for her" the shaman raised an eyebrow; Christina's posh speech was going back to its usual tone. "Kinda weird really" she added with a forced laugh. The shaman got to his feet and pulled out a book. Christina's face lit up but this left me confused; how could he know what Christina's idea was when he had been told less than what I had?

"I need to send you two into the forest to get me some items that will help with the process, or should I say, should make the process less painful?" he uttered a tinny laugh. We were give a sheet of...well...animal hide each with a list written. The list I had been given was shorter than Christina's, but mine was far more gory. The instructions were to kill a man and take the skin, to remove the eyes, fingernails, clothes, hair and teeth. Christina was give the easy task of collecting ten types of leaves and fifteen different sorts of berries.

"Begin" the shaman cried as he pulled a lever which threw us outside. From the gooey feeling I had in my stomach, I could tell that we had been turned to liquid in order to get out.

"Okay Espio, you go to town and pick a decent looking guy, you know, clean and well dressed and stuff, not some scruffy dude with dirty teeth. I'm gonna stay in the forest and get what's on my list" she turned and began to walk away.

"You sure you don't want to swap lists?" I asked feeling sick with the task I had been set.

"You know what you want" she called without turning back.

* * *

Yet again I was confused. Not wanting to waste anymore time, I journeyed to town and spent a good hour or so picking out a man who looked well groomed etc. but looked as though he deserved what was coming to him. Finally, I saw someone worthy. The man had fair skin with grey eyes and jet black hair. He was slim but not scrawny and tall, about five foot eleven inches. If Christina and the shaman had planned something that would affect my appearance then I wanted to make sure I looked good. I jumped down from my hiding place and switched to invisibility. This guy sure walked fast! I looked at the list and checked to make sure this was the person I needed. I didn't think much to his clothing though. It consisted of a khaki coloured sweater with dark burgundy cords; the outfit was rounded off with a pair of brown walking boots - truly hideous in my opinion. Yet, this would have to do. I spent another hour following this guy around town before he turned down an alley way. Seeing my opportunity, I switched so I was visible. My prey turned around and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Who the hell are you?" he yelled as he put up his fists. I noticed that he had a strong British accent and struggled to contain my laughter, my mouth curled into an evil smile and I took out a shuriken.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way" I rasped, secretly regretting what I was going to do. The man lowered his fists as he saw my weapon then fainted. Well, that was easy enough...

* * *

I returned to the oak tree and put the items on the floor. It seemed as though Christina hadn't returned yet so I waited for about twenty minutes. Just as she reached the tree the shaman appeared from the same liquid as before.

"Excellent, you have both successfully completed your tasks. Come now, we have work to do" my heart felt heavy in my chest as we descended down the hole once more. When my eyes had adjusted to the light yet again, I noticed a large coffin type case; very much like a medieval Iron Maiden but without the spikes. Christina and I put the items on the table and seated ourselves. The shaman sprinkled some crystal particles in the case and chanted some strange words that made them glow. Christina smirked at me and separated the different sorts of berries.

"Chameleon, please join me over here" I did as I was told. "Remove all your clothing" Making sure that Christina wasn't looking, I removed my weapons and clothing, rendering me freezing. The shaman wasted no time pouring and smearing some burning wax-like liquid over me. I cringed as the liquid poured over the more sensitive parts of my body and caught a glimpse of the shaman sneering at my pain. When my entire body was covered in the ooze, the shaman pressed the skin perfectly into the case. He motioned for me to step into the case. Without warning, I immediately grew to the height of the human I had murdered. I stared in shock and terror as the shaman and Christina closed the case. My face was pressed tight against the case and I could see the shaman walking towards me with the human eyes in his hands. In a split second, my eyes had been ripped out of their sockets and the human ones put in their place. Strangely enough, I wasn't in any pain, the liquid seemed to have numbed my body. I passed out soon after the hair that had been thrown in with the skin had attached itself to my head. The sounds of the shaman laughing remained in my head until I woke up...with a completely new image!


End file.
